The excitement of going back to school is underway. The cool, crisp air of fall is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to go for a walk and start a rock collection– or cook up some Sedimentary Pizza Lasagna (see below for the recipe).
In fact, September 16 is Collect Rocks Day. Yes, really! And what a great day for some rock talk. Did you know these fun facts about rocks and minerals?
*There are 3 major types of rocks: metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary
*Rocks can change from one form to another
*Approximately 65% of earth’s rocks are igneous
*Petrology is the scientific study of rocks
*Diamonds, affectionately called ‘rocks’ are actually minerals. (Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic (not living) substances. Rocks are made up of two or more minerals and can include fossils)
*The mineral childrenite was named after, not children, but a man called John George Children
Your turn. This or That? 
Rocky Road or mint chocolate chip ice-cream?
Rock n’ roll or hip hop?
Pebbles or Bam Bam?
Scavenger Hunt
Can you find at least one rock in each of these categories?
- Brown, yellow, or beige (example: brown chert, brown quartzite)
- White or light gray (example: white marble)
- Red, pink, or rusty (example: quartz rock)
- Black or dark gray (example: basalt, slate)
And now for something delicious in honor of this auspicious day!
RECIPE: Sedimentary Pizza Lasagna
Materials
1/2 pound (8 ounces) ground turkey or beef
2 cups pizza sauce
1 egg
1 cup ricotta cheese
Oven-ready lasagna noodles
Sliced pepperoni
1–2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Equipment
Frying pan
Spoon or spatula
Rectangular pan (8 x 10 inches or larger)
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Method
- With an adult’s help, cook the ground meat in a frying pan until it is brown. Drain off any fat. Add the pizza sauce and mix well.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the rectangular pan. Top with oven-ready lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly to cover the whole pan. Top with more sauce—about 1/2 cup.
- Crack and beat the egg, then mix thoroughly with ricotta cheese. Spread half this mixture over the noodles.
- Arrange a layer of pepperoni next, followed by a sprinkling of cheese. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles.
- Repeat the layers. Cover the final layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining meat sauce and a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the pan with heavy-duty foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Can you still identify the individual ingredients?
